Training camp is quickly approaching for the Los Angeles Kings, with their first preseason game on September 21st, and training camp will start a few weeks prior to that. This is a big season for the Kings as they try to get over that first-round playoff hump after making the playoffs four straight years and suffering an early exit each time.
They were busy this offseason in Ken Holland's first offseason as general manager for the team. He leaned into veteran, particularly playoff, experience with his free agent additions. We won't have the answer to that until the end of the season, but in the meantime, these are the five questions facing the team as we approach training camp.
Will Adrian Kempe have a new contract by the time training camp starts?
The Kings really have only one move they should absolutely try to make before the season, and it is a big one. Adrian Kempe is entering the final year of his contract, and the Kings can't afford to lose him in free agency next summer.
It seems like the league is currently in a holding pattern as teams, and pending free agents, wait to see what players like Connor McDavid and Kirill Kaprizov sign for their next deal. That would give them a ceiling, as no player should expect to get a similar deal, but it can be used in negotiations.
A new contract for Kempe at the start of training camp could ease a lot of angst for the Kings and allow them to focus squarely on the upcoming season.
Is this Anze Kopitar's last training camp?
Another big unknown at this point is whether or not this is Anze Kopitar's final season in the NHL, and if that were the case, it would be his final training camp. Kopitar is in the final year of his contract as well, but it has been reported he won't sign a new deal before the season.
That has resulted in speculation that Kopitar could retire after the season, and if that is the case, it would be a big void that the Kings will need to worry about filling next summer. Kopitar is one of the greatest players to ever play for the LA Kings and will be looking to end his career on a high note.
Is this the year that Quinton Byfield puts it all together?
One player who could help fill that void left by Kopitar's departure is Quinton Byfield. The former second overall pick has shown flashes over the past two seasons of the player he could be and this is hopefully the season that everything comes together.
The past two seasons he has finished with around 55 points but the final roughly 30 regular season games of last season is what fans should point to as what Byfield can do for this offense. In February, he would lead the NHL in assists with 11 in just eight games and then had 20 points over the final 24 games.
If Byfield is able to avoid the slow start, it could set him up to finally have that breakout season and emerge as the top center for the Los Angeles Kings.
Is Brandt Clarke ready for a bigger role in this defense?
The Kings lost big parts of their defense this summer as Vladislav Gavrikov would leave in free agency to sign with the New York Rangers, and the team would trade Jordan Spence to the Ottawa Senators. While the Kings added free agents Cody Ceci and Brian Dumoulin, the player who really needs to emerge to keep this defense at the top of the league is Brandt Clarke.
The former first round pick had a productive first season as a full-time starter and led the Kings' defensemen in points. For Clarke, the issue seemed to be gaining (and keeping) the confidence of head coach Jim Hiller.
For the young defenseman, it will be a balancing act where he shouldn't limit what makes him special, which is his work in the offensive part of the ice, but not take unnecessary risks that puts the Kings at a disadvantage when the puck goes the other way.
What do the Los Angeles Kings do with the first power play unit?
The Kings' power play unit was one of the worst last season, and the coaching staff struggled to find something that would work. That was until towards the end of the season, when they elected to go with five forwards. When they made that switch, it helped boost their production.
Entering this season, it will be interesting to see if the Kings elect to stay with that or have a defenseman on the ice in those situations. If they do go that route, it raises the question of who that defenseman will be, as it has traditionally been Drew Doughty, but Clarke is a player who would also fit in well here.